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Fluvial sedimentary deposits on Mars: Ancient deltas in a crater lake in the Nili Fossae region

Head, James W.; Fassett, Caleb I.

New spacecraft observations in the Nili Fossae region of Mars reveal two valley networks (~80 and ~200 km long) that each formed distributary fans as they entered an ancient 40-km diameter impact crater. An outlet channel on the eastern crater rim, lying at an elevation above the fans, suggests these fans formed as subaqueous deltas in a crater la…

High heat flux on ancient Mars: Evidence from rift flank uplift at Coracis Fossae

Neukum, G.; Hauber, E.; Grott, M. +2 more

We have identified flexural uplift at the flanks of the Coracis Fossae Rift valley. Modeling the topography the elastic thickness is constrained to 10.3-12.5 km, the corresponding mechanical thickness and thermal gradient are 15-19 km and 27-33 K km^-1, respectively. The time of rifting is dated by evaluating the crater size-frequency di…

Interior channels in Martian valleys: Constraints on fluvial erosion by measurements of the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera

Jaumann, R.; Scholten, F.; Matz, K. -D. +12 more

In High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) images of the Mars Express Mission a 130 km long interior channel is identified within a 400 km long valley network system located in the Lybia Montes. Ages of the valley floor and the surroundings as derived from crater counts define a period of ~350 Myrs during which the valley might have been formed. Base…

Small rampart craters in an equatorial region on Mars: Implications for near-surface water or ice

Jaumann, R.; Neukum, G.; Hauber, E. +3 more

Small onset diameters (1 km) of rampart craters were identified in High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) imagery in the equatorial region of the Valles Marineris plateaus. This is in contrast to previous global studies based on Viking imagery, which showed onset diameters in the range of 4 km to 7 km in equatorial regions. The observed small rampar…

Detecting sub-glacial aquifers in the north polar layered deposits with Mars Express/MARSIS

Gurnett, D. A.; Farrell, W. M.; Plaut, J. J. +1 more

The penetration of the MARSIS radar signal into the polar ice mass is modeled to determine the capability of the instrument to locate sub-glacial aquifers. As a ground penetrating radar, the orbiting MARSIS transmits a signal >1 W between 1-5 MHz. In this work we will investigate the effect of ice reflective and conductive losses on the radar-d…

Correction to ``Small rampart craters in an equatorial region on Mars: Implications for near-surface water or ice''

Jaumann, R.; Neukum, G.; Hauber, E. +2 more

Abstract Available from http://www.agu.org